How to Change a Name on a Social Security Card After Getting Married

by Cynthia Measom

Getting married is a joyous time as you embark on a new chapter in your life. However, it's also a time cluttered with details and legal paperwork. One choice as a bride is to change your last name to your husband's. If you do, you will need to change your name on your Social Security card. Once the Social Security Administration approves the change, a new card reflecting the name change is printed and mailed to you. Your Social Security number will remain the same.

Find the original copy of your marriage document. If you do not know where it is, contact the state or county recorder office in the jurisdiction where your marriage took place. Or visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find out where to write to obtain vital records.

Locate your U.S. driver's license, U.S. state-issued non-driver identification card or U.S. passport to serve as a document of identity. The Social Security Administration must see one of these.

If you do not have a U.S. driver's license, identification card or passport and if you cannot get a replacement within 10 days of your request, you may ask to use another form of identification such as an employee identification card/badge, health insurance card or Medicaid -- not Medicare -- card, U.S. military identification, U.S. government identification card, or certificate of naturalization. You also can ask to use a certificate of U.S. citizenship, U.S. Indian Tribal card, certified copy of a medical record, school identity card, certified record or current year's transcript, or a life insurance policy in your name.

Complete an application for a Social Security card. Visit the website for the U.S. Social Security Administration to download, fill out and print the application. Or call or visit your local Social Security office to request an application.

Take or mail the completed application and original or certified copies of the required documents to a Social Security office near you or to a Social Security Card Center. If you mail original documents, the Social Security Administration will return them to you with a receipt.

Items you will need

Original or certified copy of marriage document

Current U.S. driver's license, U.S. state-issued non-driver identification card

or U.S. passport

Social Security card application

Tip

Identity documents must be current -- not expired -- and must state your name, date of birth or age. A document with a photograph is preferred.

Warnings

A birth certificate is not acceptable proof of identity.

Photocopies or notarized copies of the required documents are unacceptable. Documents must be originals or copies that are certified by the issuing agency.

About the Author

Based in Texas, Cynthia Measom has been writing various parenting, business and finance and education articles since 2011. Her articles have appeared on websites such as The Bump and Motley Fool. Measom received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin.